Like many of us, we first noticed Kate Upton when she taught us how to Dougie at a Clippers game in 2011. Then she appeared on the cover of the 2012 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue in that bikini, and stole our hearts forever.

kate upton

Kate Upton

Kate Upton

Kate Upton

Kate Upton

Kate Upton

Kate Upton

Kate Upton

Kate Upton

Kate Upton

Kate Upton

kate_upton_bikini_collection_main

Kate Upton

Kate Upton

Kate Upton

Kate Upton

Kate Upton

Kate Upton

Kate Upton

Kate Upton

Kate Upton

A few dance moves (“Cat Daddy”, anyone?), a few more mag shoots and a zillion bikinis later, our crush on Kate hasn’t come anywhere close to fading. She risked life and limb on an Arctic photoshoot for this year’s SI cover, dated baseballer Justin Verlander and (reportedly?) Diddy, and is currently filming a feature film role in The Other Woman. And she did it all at just 20 years old! The super sexy super model turns 21 today, and in lieu of buying her a drink, we’ve assembled our 21 favorite reasons why she is the undisputed Queen of Bikinis. Happy birthday, Kate!